ASCLEPIADACE^. (mILKWEED FAMILY.) 345 



* Leaves opposite. 

 •1- Cordate. 



1. A. Cornuti, Decaisne. Softly pubescent; stem stout, erect; leaves 

 oval-obloug ; uuibek numerous, many-tlowei-ecl, loug-peduncled ; corolla green- 

 ish purple ; leaves of the crown pale purple, ovate, obtuse, longer than the 

 incurved horn ; follicle ovate-oblong, woolly, armed with soft spines. — Fields 

 and roadsides. North Carolina ( Croom ) , and northward. June - July. — Stem 

 3° - 4° high. Leaves 4' - 8' long. Corolla ^' wide. 



2. A. rubra, L. Smooth; stem naked at the summit; leaves ovate or 

 ovate-lanceolate, acuminate ; umbels single, or 1 - 3 in a terminal cluster, few- 

 flowered ; corolla reddish purple ; leaves of the crown oblong, acute, purplish, 

 barely longer than the subulate incurved horn, twice as long as the short- 

 stalked gynostegium ; follicle smooth. — Wet pine barrens, Georgia, and 

 northward. June - July. — Stem 2° - 4° high. Leaves 2' - 4' long. 



3. A. obtusifolia, Michx. Smooth and somewhat glaucous; stem 

 erect; leaves oblong, undulate, partly clasping; umbels 1-3, loug-peduncled, 

 many -flowered ; corolla greenish purple ; leaves of the crown truncated and 

 somewhat tootbed at the apex, rather longer than the gynostegium, much 

 shorter than the sul)ulate incurved horn ; follicle smooth. — Sandv soil. 

 June - July. — Stem 2'^ - 3" high. Leaves 2' - 3' long. Corolla lobes 3" long. 



4. A. amplexieaulis, Michx. Smooth and glaucous ; stem decumbent, 

 very leafy ; leaves large, fleshy, ovate, clasping, white-veined ; umbels 3-6, 

 many-flowered ; corolla ash-color ; leaves of the crown oval, obtuse, white, 

 longer than the gynostegium, and the nearly straight horn. — Dry sandy pine 

 barrens in the lower districts. April -May. — Stems several, l°-2° long. 

 Leaves 4' - 5' long. 



-i- -1- Leaves contracted into a petiole. 



■tH- Oval, oblong, or obovate. 



^. A. phytolaccoid.es, Pursh. Stem tall, smooth ; leaves ovate or 

 ovate-lanceolate, tapering at each end, paler beneath, membranaceous ; um- 

 bels 2-4, long-peduncled, many-flowered; pedicels drooping; corolla pale 

 greenish ; leaves of the crown white, truncated, 2-toothed, shorter than the 

 subulate incurved horn. — Low grounds along the mountains. June - July. — 

 Stem .3°- 5° high. Leaves 6' -9' long. Pedicels 2' -3' long. 



6. A. purpurascens, L. Stem smooth; leaves ovate-oWong, acute, 

 short-petioled, paler and pu])escent beneath ; umbels 1-2, many-flowered ; 

 corolla dark purple ; leaves of the crown oblong, abruptly contracted above, 

 twice as long as the incurved horn and nearly sessile gynostegium. — Thickets 

 and borders of woods, Tennessee, North Carolina, and northward. Juue- 

 July. — Stem 2° -3° high. Leaves 4' -7' long. Pedicels 9"- 15" long, 

 pubescent. 



7. A. variegata, L. Stem stout, leafless below, pubescent in lines ; 

 leaves oval, oblong, or obovate, smooth; umbels 3-5, pubescent, closely flow- 

 ered, the upper ones corymbose ; corolla white ; leaves of the crown roundish, 

 longer than the ])urpli.«h gynostegium, equalling the thick awl-pointed incurved 

 horn. — Dry open woods and borders of fields. May -June. — Stem 2° -3° 

 high, purplish. Leaves rather thick, 2'-3' long. Peduncies 9"- 12" long. 



